Railway-signal.



No. 672;(526. Patented Apr. 23, |`90|. J. D. PRICE.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

(Application filed Apr. 11, 1900.)

UNITED STATES JONATHAN D. PRICE, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MILLER SIGNAL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-SIG NAL SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,626, dated April 23, 1901..

Application iiled April 11, 1900. Serial No.121420' (No model- T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONATHAN D. PRICE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Au-v rora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful 1mprovement in Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to the block system of railway-signals in which the condition of any given block or section of the track is by suitable signals made known to an engineer (or other trainman) before the train enters thereupon. Heretofore in such systems the signals have been located in some instances at the side of the track and in some instances on the train, the operation being either automatic or manual, as desired. Many objections to locating the signal devices at the'side of the track might be enumerated; hence the desirability of a practical, cheap, and effective construction wherein the signal is located on the train. So far as I know, ithas prior to this invention been necessary in practice to use a third rail in these systems where the signal is located on the train.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved construction wherein the track-rails maybe practically utilized as a part ofthe mechanism for operating signals located on the train, (preferably in the engine-cab,) thereby obviating the necessity of a third rail, with its attendant disadvantages, and, as will appear, the invention is applicable to both the automatically and the manually operated systems.

The accompanying drawing represents, diagrammatically, one full block and portions of the two adjacent blocks of a railway-track,

`together with portions of an engine, (or car,)

the engine being supposed to carry suitable signals and electric devices for operating the same, and the track being shown so constructed andequipped that the condition of any given block will be indicated by the signals in the cab. The drawing illustrates the invention in preferred form; butit will be understood readily that certain features of the construction may be omitted and that certain devices employed may be replaced by equiva- ,lent devices.

Generally stated, the invention comprises suitable portable or transient signals and actuating mechanism therefor located on the train, track-rails having insulated sections, and local mechanisms for the several blocks novelly combined therewith and properly connected with the track-rail sections and serving to act upon or iniuence the transient mechanism to cause the latter to change the signals to indicate change in track conditions.

A description of the preferred construction follows.

The transient signals and operating mechanism therefor are located at A upon a train, being supported thereupon in any suitable finanner. Wheels B and B' are conventionally illustrated beneath said mechanism and supported by the track.

C, C', and C2 represent the several blocks of track shown. The track-rails of each block comprise electrically separated or insulated sections ct and b and a and b', respectively, the sections b and b being relatively short sections which mark the block divisions or boundaries.

D D represent local or non-transient mechanisms connecting the blocks and serving to actuat-e or iniinence the transient signal-operating mechanism.

At A are located a clear-signal E and a danger-signal E', preferably electric lights, the former emitting white (clear) light and the latter red (danger) light. These lights are arranged in independent circuits, having, however, a common battery c and common wires c and c2. The circuit for light E is completed through wire c3, contacts c4 c4, an armature F, pivoted to any suitable support on a horizontal pivot c5, wire c6, light E, and wire c7. The circuit for light E is completed through wire cs, contacts o9 o9, armature D, wire @10, light E', and wire cu. The armature D swings in a vertical plane between magnets Gr and H, the former being below and the latter above the armature, whereby the force of gravity acts to assist the one and oppose the other. A battery I constantly energizes the magnet G through conductors d and d', the current passing in the direction indicated. From one pole of battery I a conductor e passes to magnet H, and from magnet Ha con- IOO ductor e pa's'ses t' the axle of wheels B. To the other pole of said battery a conductor e2 leads from the axle of wheels B. Where the track is electrically continuous the circuit for magnet H is completed through a rail or rails, and the magnet is then sufficiently powerful to hold the armature D, after the latter has been brought close into its field,

through the action ofa reinforcing-battery loi cated at the block-boundary.

From the immediately preceding description it will be seen that gravity and the mag net G act together constantly to hold the 'ar'- mature D depressed, thereby tending to keep the danger-light circuit closed and the clearlight circuit broken. This action is successfully resisted by the magnet HV till a pointof insulation in the track is reached, when the armature D willfall unless a relatively long circuit for H is immediately established through the local partial circuit. `Asi will` reinforcing-battery J,which, together with its connections, acts at proper times to `complete the interrupted short circuit 'of the nippel" magnet H of the transient mechanism. The battery J and its connections afford one-form of a local partial circuit which is normally closed and terminates at the track. Should this localpartial circuit be interrupted, a rela tively long circuit for magnet H cannot beestablished and armature D will drop.l Should Q the partial circuit be uninterrupted and the armature D depressed, as by an interruption at the preceding block, the reinforcingfbat'- tery will send such current through the tem'- Q porary long circuit as, to bring the armature again to the magnet H, where it will remain till an interrupted local partial circuit is 'again encountered. `As shown,gthe course of current is from said battery through conductors magnet L, controlled from the block in advanceof the train, (here AC',) thence through conductors f3 to contactf4 on'armature Mott a magnet M', controlled from the second ad- Vance-block, (here 02,) and thence through a conductorf5 to rail-section vb. From section j b current passes through Wheels Bl', cond uctor i e2, battery I, conductor e, delgi-winding yoit' `:magnet H, conductor e', 4wheels B, and finally conductor f 6, leading from rail-section a back to batteigy J., The current of battery Jac'ts, as indicated, with the current of battery I so far' as the iield of magnet H isn concerned and vagainst the same so far as the field of magnet G is conce'i-ned.

Eachblocli isprovided with atraen-battery u P, connected with the advance ends of the thesections b and b. ihieehert eireijiit ee'ejure et eeen meer 'while t said sections. ff to contact f2 o n anlarmatureqK of a relayrail-sections a and a by conductors g and g. Conductors g2 g3 connect the rear ends of the same rail-sections with the relay-magnet L.

It will noW be understood that if a train is in block C the current normally pas'singfrom the track-battery? of said section will be short-circuited, allowing the armature of the relay-magnet L to fall, thereby interrupting the stationary or non-transient portion of the circuit of the reinforcing-battery J. It at such time the train mechanism described of the train following the train for the moment supposed 'to be in section C reaches the position shown in the diagram, whereby the rail completion of the short circuit of the magnet H is interrupted, the armature nD Will drop and complete the danger-signal circuit, at the Sametime interrupting the clear-'signal circlit. When there is no train in block C", the lrelay-magnet 'remai closed and there is l'no interruption at f2, Heime 'batteries I and J will 'eet together threughtiie intermittentlyestablished long circuit of 'thefmagnet kIt will be observed that the insulationsocearring tothe right ef sections b and b'ef any given block are not directly opposite each other. The purpose of staggering or mismatching'the in'sulations at I'the 'advance ende efeeid rens is te `vreserve one raneenductorrfor comfpleting t e'sllorthircni'tof the magnetH, whereby 'thelatteruis ke't energized while the wheels B and Bl ajre "e'aving The interruption te the front set of i'iifheelsr employed 'are on the sections b and h and the 'rear set of ti'heels are on the sections 'ct and ct. lf the long' cir- ,cuit is immediately established, as the wheels Bf pass onto the sections Ig and Zfth'ere 'no drop ofthe `ari'natu'r'e D; but if there san interruption of the long circuit, as b'y the short-circuiting of the current passingtfo the relay-magnet, the danger-'signa'lwi llbe'given.

The insulations 'to the right of sections b and IOO IIO

b' meer er veeiiree be ee-jpieeen niet current A can pass from the rear set of wheels 'to the front set of Wheels through the tracl'irt 'all tim-es after the rear wheels vhave passed 'on'to In the drawing I have shown the sections b and h broken Ato indicate that they are of greater length Athan ttheir apparent length; v* I y v It will befob'served that ythe 'magnet Mftakes no part in interrupting the 'cir'cni't of kbattery J, so far as 'the im mediate a'dvancablock Cl is concerned. The purpose o`f sending the vcurrentjcf battery J Ythrough contact f4 of armature M, however, is 'to enable Athe interruption 'tow proceed from 'the second advance- 'on block C2. The relay-magnet L of the mechanism located at the junction of blocks C and C2 will be denergized, and the armature K will fall, thereby breaking at contact h the secondary circuit of the battery J, located at the junction of blocks C and C, thus denergizing magnet M and breaking at contact f4 the long circuit of signal-magnet H. Thus by a simple expedient the train is caused to signal back to the second block in the rear, whereby the engineer of the following train is enabled to leisurely bring his train to slow motion or stop without violent shock or waste of energy.

The magnet L and armature K may be replaced by a manually-operated switch, if desired, in which case the magnet M and related parts can be dispensed with. Where the signal is given automatically, it is essential to have a source of electric energy connected with the rail-sections of the block near their advance ends and to provide the train with properly-insulated track-engaging conductors for taking a current from the track and conveying it to a device for acting upon or affecting the signals.

In its simplest'forrn for a manual system the invention comprises signals and electric devices for controlling the same mounted on the train in the manner shown, conductors leading from said electric devices to t-he track, insulated track-rail sections, and switch-connected conductors connected therewith. This characterization is met by the mechanism with both the battery J and the battery P omitted, the automatically-operated switch bei ng replaced by a man ually-operated switch. In the automatically-operated system it `is considered that the relay may under favorable conditions and by suitable changes in circuits be omitted and the mechanism still remain automatic and within the spirit of my invention. Any suitable signals .may be employed, and the electric or electromagnetic controlling device therefor may be changed at will.

It is not essential to my invention that ordinary supporting-wheels of the engine or car be used as conductors for conveying the current from the track. Such wheels may be conveniently employed, however, by insulating one set from another, and this may be readily accomplished by insulating a locomotive from its tender, when the tender becomes one track-engaging conductor and the engine the other one.

It is noteworthy that the 'magnet H when mthe train mechanism is in the position indicated may be denergized or sufficiently weakened to cause it to release the armature D by other suitable means for interrupting the current from battery J or for altering the local partial circuit than the circuit-breaking device employed. A com mon expedient in apparatus-of the same general character is to reverse the direction of current or to neutralize the currentinstead of breaking its circuit.

Such an expedient is deemed within the spirit of my invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a track having insulated track-rail sections, a local source of electric energy, conductors connecting said source with two of said sections and forming therewith a local partial circuit, signals mounted to be carried above said track, a transient signal-controlling electric device, a transient source of electric energy, and suitably-insulated conductors connected with said transient electric source and controlling device and simultaneously engaging said two track-rail sections of said local partial circuit, whereby said local partial circuit is completed through said controlling device, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a track having insulated track-rail sections, a local source of electric energy, local conductors connecting said source with two ot said track-rail sections, means for making and breaking the` partial circuit thus formed, transient signals for the train,electric controllingdevices therefor, a transient electric source 'and conductors carried by the train and arranged to receive the current from one rail-section of said local partial circuit and convey the same through said signal-controlling device to the other rail-section, ot' said local partial circuit, substan tiall y as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of a track divided into blocks and having insulated track-rail sections, a local source ot energy connected with two insulated sections near a division between blocks, one ot said last-named sections being in advance ofthe other, a circuit maker and breaker for the partial circuitl thus formed, a source of electric energy connected with both track-rails near the advance end of the advance block, and automatic means connected with the last-named block and with said circuit-maker for closing the same when said block is clear and opening the same when the block is obstructed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of a plurality of trackblocks having therein insulated track rail sections,a source of electric energy connected with the advance ends of the rails of a given block, transient signals mounted to be carried above said track, electric signal-control* lingdevice,andtrack-engagingconductorsarranged to convey an electric impulse from the track to said controlling device and back to the track when the current from said local source is not short-circuited, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of insulated track-rail sections, a battery connected with two sections located one in advance of the` other, a relay-magnet for making and breaking the partial circuit thus formed, a track-battery connected with both track-rails, and conduc- IIO tors connecting said track-rails with said :re-

' lay-magnet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of insulated track-rail sections, a battery connected with two adjacent sections, a relay-magnet for making and breaking the partial circuit thus formed, a track-battery connected with both track-rails near the advance end of a block, conductors connecting said track-rails near the rear end of the block With'said relay-magnet, transient signals mounted to be carried above said track, an electric controlling device carried therewith, and track-engaging conductors connected with said controlling device, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7 The combination of a track divided into blocks and having insulated track-rail sections, sources of electric energy connected with the rails at the advance ends of the blocks,local-signal-controlling electric supply sources connected with the respectively adjacent blocksat the j unctions thereof,relay.mag nets supplied with circuit-breakers and controlling the circuits of said last-named sources andconnected, each to an immediate advance block, eXtra circuit-breakers carried by the armatures of said relay-magnets, auxiliary magnets provided with circuit lbreakers in the circuits of said local-signal-controlling sources, and circuit connections between the auxiliary magnet of each block and the relayarm-ature of an advance block, whereby, when a train occupies a given block, the auxiliary magnet of a remote succeeding block is deenergized and the local-signal-controlling circuit broken, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination of a track divided into blocks havin-g` insulated track-rail sections, clear and danger signals mounted upon a car traversing lsaid track, electrically-actuated mechanism controlling said signals, conducdanger signals mounted upon a train, circuits therefor havingl adjacent contacts, an upper and a lower magnet, an oscillating armature between said magnets and serving to close` either of said circuits, conductors leading from the upper magnet to the track, a track.

a. crasse tors joining section a of one block to section "b of another block, a source of electric energy in the course of said conductors, means for breaking the partial circuit thus formed, signals mounted on a train, electric controlling device therefor, and conductors leading'from controlling device to track and located to simultaneously engage the sections a. and b, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination of transient signallights E and E', circuits therefor, verticallyswinging armature D, -upper and lower controlling-magnets therefor, battery I, conductors leading therefrom to magnet G, conductors leading from said battery to the track, one of which .includes the field-Winding of magnet H, insulated track-sections, and a local 'device for supplying (when not interrupted) current to said conductors while the train is passing from block to block, when the track is clear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

12. The combination of a track divided into blocks having insulated rail-sections, local batteries J, primary partial circuits therefor connected with rail-sections, magnets L and M controlling said partial circuits, secondary circuits connecting battery J and magnet M of each block with the armature of magnet L of an advance block, track-batteries connected with the advance ends of the several blocks, and conductors connecting magsections, electric clear and danger signals mounted upon a train traversing the track, circuits .for said electric signals, an armature for breaking either circuit and closing the other circuit, a magnet for holding said armature in position tovclose the clear-signal circuit, and conductors leading from said magnet and located to engage two of said trackrail sections, whereby `when the circuit for said magnet, established through a rail or rails, is interrupted bya point of insulation, said magnet is denergized, the clear-signal circuit broken, and the danger-signal circuit closed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

15. The combination of a clear or safety transient signal, electric controlling Vmechanism therefor, a transient electric generator in circuit with said controlling mechanism, conductors leading to the track and arranged one in advance of the other and through which a closed relatively short circuit is maintained, except at block-junctions, insulated track- IOO IIO

rail sections at the block-junctions, conductors connected with the track-rails, and a local electric generator forming with said lastnamed conductors a local normally-closed partial circuit terminating at the rails and through which, assuming said partial circuit to remain uninterrupted, a relatively long circuit for said controlling mechanism is established when one of said track-engaging conductors crosses a point of insulation at a block-junction and interrupts said short circuit, substantially as. and for the purpose set forth.

16. The combination of a track having insulated track-rail sections, a local source of electric e'nergy, conductors connected with two of said sections and forming therewith a local partial circuit, means for interrupting, when desired, the current of said local source of energy to prevent it from acting either to maintain or reset the safety-signal when the train mechanism is in position to receive said current, and train mechanism comprising signals mounted to be carried above said track, a transient-signal-controlling electric device, a transient source of electric energy, and suitably-insulated conductors connected with said transient electric source and controlling device and simultaneously engaging said two track-rail sections of said local partial circuit, whereby said local partial circuit is completed through said signal-controlling device, substantially as described.

17. The combination of a track divided into blocks and having insulated trackrail sections, a local source of energy connected with two insulated sections near a division between two of the blocks and forming therewith alocal partial circuit, one of said last-named sections being in advance of the other, means connected with the advance block for interrupting the current of said local source of energy, at desired times, to prevent it from acting either to maintain or reset the safetysignal, a source of electric energy connected with both track-rails near the advance end of the advance block and serving when not interrupted to maintain the normal condition of said local partial circuit, and train-carried signal mechanism comprising clear and danger signals, an electric controlling device therefor, and conductors for the controlling device carried by the train and simultaneously engaging the rail-sections of said local partial circuit, whereby the circuit is completed through the local partial circuit at block-junctions when the track is clear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

18. The combination of a track divided into blocks having insulated rail-sections, local batteries J, primary partial circuits therefor connected with rail-sections, magnets L and M controlling said partial circuits, secondary circuits connecting battery J and magnet M' lof each block with the armature of magnet L of an advance block, track-batteries connected with the advance ends of the several blocks, conductors connecting magnets L to said blocks near their rear ends, and train mechanism comprising clear and danger signals, an electric controlling device therefor, and conductors leading from said controlling device to the track and simultaneously engaging the rail-sections of a local partial circuit at the block-junction, whereby the current is conducted from the battery J at said junction to said controlling device when the track is clear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

19. The combination of insulated track-rail sections, a battery connected with two of said sections of different blocks, a magnet for making and breaking the partial circuit thus formed and normally energized to hold the partial circuit closed,conductors leading from said magnet and through which the magnet is energized and denergized, and train mechanism comprising clear and danger signals, an electric controlling device therefor, and conductors leading from said controlling de vice and simultaneously engaging said railsections of said different blocks, whereby a circuit is established for said local battery through said electric controlling device at the block-junction, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JONATHAN D. PRICE.

A. C. MILLER, D. W. LEE. 

